Guardians of Rescue and local and national non-profit groups work at the Treasure Coast International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017, to bring in dozens of animals from Puerto Rico. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Wochit

Bonii Dyjasek(Photo11: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A Tennessee woman was charged with animal abuse after an informant for Animal Control saw her selling dehydrated, sick puppies in a Wawa parking lot, according to arrest records.

Bonii Dyjasek, 52, was charged with three counts of unlawful confinement of an animal and six counts of offering an animal for sale without proper health requirements, according to her arrest affidavit.

She also was issued three citations with fines totaling $645 for violations of animal cruelty provisions, court records showed. The county has filed a lawsuit to take custody of three of the puppies confiscated in December and prevent her from having animals ever again.

Dyjasek was seen Dec. 4 selling puppies out of a van at Wawa, 1180 U.S. 1, by a former employee of the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County who had worked as an animal control officer in North Florida, according to a criminal complaint.

The informant said he saw someone buy a white Great Pyrenees puppy from Dyjasek. He approached her and she offered the remaining puppies in the van to him for various prices, adding she had many more animals for sale at a home in St. Lucie County, the complaint said.

The informant said some of the puppies "looked very sick," according to the complaint.

An animal control officer responded and approached the van, then parked across the street. She could not produce any health certificates for the six puppies in wire cages in the back of the vehicle, according to the complaint.

"I did not see any water dishes in the cages with any of the animals. They had no wet areas like they had recently had water in them that could have been spilled," the complaint said.

In the van were three seemingly healthy young dogs for sale: a black lab mix, a shepherd and poodle mix, and a white Great Pyrenees.

But three "bugs," or Boston terrier and pug mixes, "seemed sluggish and did not have much puppy energy," according to the complaint.

Animal Control took those puppies to a local animal hospital for examination, where they ravenously consumed food and water, the complaint said.

The veterinarian said all three puppies were dehydrated, underweight and lethargic, with bloated abdomens and severe ear mite infections. She believed 24 to 48 hours had passed since they had access to water, and likely longer since they last ate, according to the her findings.

The puppies were 6 to 7 weeks old at the time, court records show. It is illegal to transport puppies younger than 8 weeks to Florida for sale.